BAR L´ ESTUFA PARCENT 966405236

Hunger staved at the Stove Bar

A welcome port of call on a rather unsettled March day, Bar L´Estufa is situated at Avenida de Alicante 13, which is on the corner opposite the renowned Restaurante L´Era in Parcent at the western end of the Vall del Pop. Bar L´Estufa is an unassuming Spanish restaurant with a substantial outdoor patio area in a courtyard at the rear.

They offer a tapas menu at €9.90 or three menus del día priced at €10, €12 or €14. Most of us opted for the €12 menu but we also experienced the tapas offer and the highest priced menu. The menus included bread, a half bottle of wine and dessert.

For starters we had a chicken salad that was more than enough for two. Other starters chosen were stuffed aubergines, mussels and a substantial fish soup.

Main courses selected were pork fillet cooked à la plancha and which was tender and succulent, and a generous entrecote. The house wines were from Utiel-Requena both branded Monumento and whilst a bit light were palatable.

There was a large choice of desserts to choose from and together with coffees and brandy our hearty lunch cost €15.26 p.p.

L´ERA, PARCENT 966405298

Valencian cuisine in vibrant surroundings

Eleven of us walked a little way into the charming village of Parcent, where we found L´Era , all Spanish pine and noise. The Friday crowd were cheerfully exuberant. A quiet lunch was NOT on the menu.

But the menu del día itself was standard Valencian. As well as the usual bread and alioli, the latter unfortunately supplied by a local supermarket, a selection of starters was paraded for our delight, including ensalada mixta, higado de pollo (chicken liver – very tasty), meat balls, jamon y queso, and a local speciality, callos (tripe with a beautiful piquant sauce).

The main course was Paella which was priced at €11 per person and included chicken, rabbit, broad and runner beans. Unusually, the stock used to cook the rice contained a meat extract that gave the rice a distinctive flavour. This did not detract from the deliciously caramelised socarrat at the base of the dishes.

The house wines, complete with the L´Era label, came from nearby Jalon and complemented the rural, nay rustic, nature of the lunch. A half bottle per person was included in the price of the lunch.

Postres provided were a variety of the usual bought-in puddings – ice cream, almond or chocolate tart, or crème caramel.

Together with coffee and brandy, the total bill came to a reasonable €15.44 a head.

VICTORIA RESTAURANT & TAVERN, PARCENT 966405398

Planet rebranded

When we last visited this restaurant in April 2015 it was called The Planet and had recently been taken over by a British couple who had very successfully operated the Paraiso restaurant further up the Coll de Rates road. At that time Paraiso was rated the number one restaurant in Parcent by TripAdvisor.

Victoria operates as a restaurant and pub and we decided to have our lunch in the pub area as it was more lively and warm on a cold January day.

The extensive menu del día now costs just €12.50 and offers a choice of five starters, main courses and desserts as well as a half bottle of wine. There was a more extensive menu priced at €18 and that was what most of us chose from. Before our starters were presented we were served a delicious Stilton cheese and brocolli soup on the house.

We selected Thai fishcakes, deep fried Brie with cherries, stuffed mussels, hot chicken and bacon salad and Italian style stuffed mushrooms. The presentation was particularly impressive. Our host decided to trade up from the house white for a Chardonnay ( €8.50).

Our main course selections included fish and chips, duck breast with berry sauce, and chicken wellington. The red wine selected was Pata Negra from Peñades (€8).

RESTAURANTE EL PARAISO, PARCENT 617337012

Paradise lost…..and rediscovered!

After a rare, but prolonged spell of dank, gloomy and depressing weather, the rain Gods called a truce and a chink in the heavens could be glimpsed through the clouds above the Vall de Pop. Our host interpreted this as a sign to enjoy some “de vino” intervention and whisked us off to Paradise –the Restaurante El Paraiso, to be precise.

El Paraiso is located on the CV 715 at about one kilometre from Parcent driving in the direction of Col de Rates and Tárbena. Although we had been here some four years earlier, Paraiso has recently reopened after being closed for almost two years. The new hosts are a husband and wife team, Manolo and Svetlana.

There are two menus del día on offer priced at €12 for 3 courses including wine or €18 for 3 courses excluding wine. Most of us chose the €12 option and one of our party decided to go for the €18 menu.

For starters there was a heavenly cream of pumpkin soup and a very rich tomato broth which suited the wintery weather. The more expensive menu offered a selection of tapas including huevos rotos.

All main courses carried a supplementary price and both the pork knuckle (€4) and entrecote (€4) were moist and tender although the entrecote was subjected to extra time on the grill.

The shoulder of lamb carried a €6 supplement but unfortunately it turned out to be dry and overcooked. When this was brought to the attention of Manolo, he was aghast and immediately waived the supplement and offered a dessert from the €18 menu in compensation. The final main course selected was slow cooked veal cheek from the €18 option and was declared to be delicious. A general criticism was perhaps the rather meagre selection of vegetables which consisted primarily of onion.

As to the wine, the €12 menu included the Alicante wine called Alcanta from the Bocopa Bodega near Sax. It was judged to be acceptable but rather light both in body and strength and our host kindly agreed to trade up to a 2013 rioja crianza called Pergamino (€13) which was an excellent choice.

Our lunch was rounded off with coffee and a house offering of Hierbas de Pego. Our lunch in paradise cost €22.65 p.p.

TRAMONTI, PARCENT 966405184

Reliable

Restaurante Tramonti is located on the edge of Parcent at the crossroads of the road from Jalon and Alcalali and the road to Tarbena. The restaurant has a south facing patio with wonderful views of the Coll de Rates and the Vall de Pop.
The menu del día varies in price according to one´s choice of main course, from €9.80 for chicken fillet to €16.50 for roast lamb. Most of our party chose this latter dish, the others opting for lenguado/sole (€13.50).

LA PISCINA, PARCENT 966405126

Al fresco under the pines

La Piscina is a long established family run restaurant on the site of the old municipal swimming pool for Parcent on the road to the Coll de Rates. Although the large dining area could double up as a museum for antique farming implements, everyone dines al fresco under the pines. A lone guitarist serenaded the lunchers.

The menu del día costs €13.20 and includes a half bottle of wine per person. There is a substantial array of cold meats and salads to select from for the first course. Indeed it would be possible to have a most enjoyable lunch from this buffet alone.
The house wines were from La Mancha and both called Abadia del Roble. The white was pleasant enough but the red was a bit of a disappointment so our host traded up to a Ribero del Duero Crianza called Flumen Dorium which at €12 was a sound investment.
For our main course we chose lenguado/sole and jaboli/wild boar as it was in season. Curiously one of the wild boar dishes was perfect but the other a little on the dry side. The sole was good. To complete our lunch we selected homemade hazel nut mousse and pears in wine, both delicious.

La Piscina is a very genuine country restaurant that provided an enjoyable lunch experience for €18.77 p.p.

RTE. EL PROGRÉS,PARCENT

Pure theatre

It’s not often we get to have lunch in a theatre, particularly in a small country town like Parcent in the Vall de Pop. The Coop Agrícola in Parcent has a Local Social founded in 1915 that houses a bar/restaurant in a substantial sized theatre. The ceilings are high, the walls tiled and the acoustics deafening when the room is full of locals chattering away.

Apparently the running of the restaurant is for four years and we arrived for lunch when the new management had just that day taken over, so we were anticipating a bit of theatre. To be fair the new team of father and mother and their two daughters coped well.

There was no printed menu, however we were advised that there was a choice of three starters, three main courses, three desserts and a half bottle of wine for €11. In fact if it hadn’t been a holiday (All Saint’s day), but a normal weekday, the price would have been a remarkable €7.50.

We started with deep fried calamari rings with salad and grilled liver with salad. Both simple but tasty dishes.

For main course our choices were grilled fillet of pork and grilled chicken, both served with fries. Again simple but good.

Finally for dessert we had an excellent cheesecake and tiramisu. The wines selected were a disappointing Airen from the Felix Solis stable called Peñasol and a pleasant Rioja called Crin. As there was no price list we calculated that the wines cost €6 a bottle.

El Progrés offers remarkable value in an unusual setting and after the new team have settled in, they should do well. Cost p.p. €12.50.